Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Hmmm. Naughty student was probably a better comparison.
Beside her, our daughter swung slowly back and forth in her baby swing, soft gurgles escaping her chubby little mouth. She was dressed in a pink onesie with ruffles at the shoulders and the words “I’m proud my mommy can’t resist her biker” on the front, and tiny socks that never stayed on. Her pacifier was in her mouth, but she kept trying to spit it out.
Her bright cornflower-blue eyes flicked toward me and widened like she knew who I was. Knew I was hers. She squealed, a sound that hit me dead in the center of the chest, and my heart squeezed.
Tamara looked up and smiled. A sweet, happy one that wrecked me every time.
“Hey,” she said softly, eyes still a little glassy from staring at her notes. “All set?”
“Yeah,” I murmured, stepping inside and shutting the door behind me. “Bar’s ready. Staff’s prepped. I’m done for the night.”
Her round lips grew curved up. “You have the night off?”
“Yep.”
“Whatever will we do with ourselves?” she asked, batting her eyelashes. It was amazing how she could make me laugh and as hard as a fucking rock at the same time.
“Got some ideas,” I told her with a wink.
Giggling, she turned in the chair slightly, stretching her arms overhead. I let my gaze drag over her. The curve of her waist, the soft swell of her tits, the way her belly had never quite gone back to the way it used to be. I didn’t want it to. Every mark, every line she’d earned from carrying our girl made her a fucking warrior. She was sexy as hell. And all mine.
“You almost done?” I asked, nodding at the book.
She groaned. “I have to finish reviewing this clinical ethics chapter, then quiz myself on pharmacology.” She rolled her eyes and slumped dramatically. “It never ends.”
I stepped behind her, bent low, and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, then dug my thumbs into her stiff muscles, ignoring the way her delighted moan felt like a fist wrapped around my shaft.
“That’s ’cause you’re doing something that matters.” My voice was rough and quiet. “Told you I’d back you all the way. You’re more than halfway done. That’s more than most would’ve tried.”
She leaned into me slightly, that familiar tension in her shoulders melting away. “Because of you,” she whispered.
“For you,” I corrected. “Always.”
After the clinic fallout hit the news, the whole operation collapsed overnight. Corporate heads rolled, labs shut down, assets frozen. I’d made sure the worst of them never got back up again. Once the dust settled, I pushed her—gently but without giving her room to back out—to chase her original dream. A real nursing degree. A future on her terms. And she’d taken to it with the same quiet strength I saw in her the night I first carried her to safety. She amazed me every damn day.
I kissed the top of her head, then nodded toward the door. “Time to go home.”
We quickly packed up her backpack, purse, and the diaper bag while Calida yawned like this was all beneath her. Then she promptly passed out the second her head hit the soft padding of her car seat.
The drive was less than fifteen minutes, but it felt longer. My heart beat hard the whole way, my palms damp as I hoped for the right reaction to my surprise.
Her fingers drummed absently on the console while she looked out the window, unaware of what was coming.
Finally, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine.
Tamara blinked, confused as she stared at the house in front of us. “Whose place is this?”
“Yours,” I said simply. “Ours.”
She turned to me, wide-eyed, mouth falling open slightly as she stared. The stone and wood structure was two stories, with a wraparound porch and warm light spilling from the inside like it had been waiting for her. For us.
I exited the car and jogged around to her side, opening her door and helping her to her feet.
“I…I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“It’s home.”
She stared at me with an awed expression as I unclipped Calida’s seat and lifted it out. Holding the carrier on one arm, I grabbed Tamara’s hand and pulled her toward the front door.
Inside, her steps slowed as she took it all in. The hardwood floors, wide open kitchen with the hanging pots and the island bar, and brick fireplace with the hearth already stacked. The oversized sofa, with a plush blanket tossed over the back.
Everything had been handpicked for comfort and warmth. For a family.
“You did this?” she gasped.
I chuckled. “Promised I’d never lie to you, baby, so I gotta be honest. The other old ladies had a big hand in picking all this shit out.”
Tamara giggled and went up on her tiptoes to brush a kiss over my cheek. “I love you.”